Machine for operating on soles.



A. E. JOHNSON. MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 3, 1913.

ml 83%" y Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET A. E. JOHNSON.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N SOLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. 1913.

m1 WWW. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/6 6a A? a ALBERT E. JOHNSON, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING. ON SOIIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 191W.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT E. JoHNsoN,a citizen. of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Operating on Soles; and I do hereby declare the following to b a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines for making soles and more particularly insoles used in the manufactureof'boots and shoes.

The insole blank produced by the machine of the present invention may be utilized for various types and kinds of insoles used in the manufacture of boots and shoes, but it has been found to be particularly useful in making what is known as Economy insoles, the single lipped type of which is illustrated and described in the present inventors United States Letters. Patent No. 656',- 842, dated August 28, 1900, and the double lipped type of which is illustrated and described in the present inventors United States Letters Patent No. 849,245, dated April 2, 1907.

The single lipped type of Economy insole is prepared for reinforcing, that is, the operation of applying the reinforcing material to the insole, from a sole shaped blank, by cutting one face of the blank outwardly within its edge to form a flap parallel to the edge. The flap is turned up at right angles to the cut face of the blank to form an upright rib around the shank and forepart of the insole. As thus prepared, a sheet of reinforcing material is stuck roughly on the blank and the blank and sheet are then passed through a reinforcing machine. It has been the practice heretofore, after channeling the insole blanks, to turn up the flap, by hammers, 'rotary lip-turningtools, or other means, using pres sure alone. It was found, however, that a flap turned to the position shown in Letters Patent No. 656,842, by the pressure devices hereinbefore referred to, has a tendency to droop toward its original position over the channel, especially when the blank is cut from the poorer grades of stock used for reinforced insoles. When this happened, in preliminarily applying the sticky sheet of material to the sole it adhered to the outer surface of the flap. Under such conditions the tools of the reinforcing machine are prevented from working the reinforcing material down into its proper position in the angle between the channel and the inner surface of the flap, as will be readily recognized by those skilled in the art. The double lipped t'ype overcame the objection just referred to as the uniting of the flap to a marginal lip out parallel thereto held it securely in its upright position, preventing an exposure of its outer surface to the sticky surface of the reinforcing ma terial and permitting a proper action of the reinforcing machine on the sole. In this type after the flap and lip have been turned up at right angles to the cut face of the blank they are united by cement and pressure, or stitches. Substantially four steps are taken in preparing for reinforcing the double lipped type of insole described in Letters Patent No. 849, 245, namely: the step of edge slitting and channeling the step of lip and flap turning, the step of cement applying, and the step of pressure applying. The use of cement adds to the cost of the insole and the operation of cement applying involves the use of special apparatus. In certain grades of the leather used, such as splits, cement has been found to be ineffective to permanently se cure the flap and lip together and prevent a drooping or partial return of the flap to its position against the face of the sole and for this reason a line of stitching is now generally used to secure the flap and lip together. This also involves the use of special machinery.

The object of the present invention is to produce a machine by which the marginal flap or rib of a sole blank may be permanently set in upturned position, a result heretofore found impracticable.

To the accomplishment of this object a feature of the present invention contemplates the provision in a machine provided with means for supporting and feeding a sole blank having a marginal flap or rib, of means, other than mere pressure applying devices, for treating the flap or rib in a manner to insure a permanent set. It has been discovered that such a result can be secured by stretching the fibers of the material in the flap or. rib at the upper marginal portion thereof to produce a length at this portion greater than the length at its base. Stretching the fibers so that the length of the upper up-turned edge of the flap or rib is greater than the length at its base, stiffens the rib and permanently sets it in its up-turned position. Its former tendency to droop toward the face of the insole is thus effectually overcome.

Broadly considered the fibers of the upper marginal portion of the up-turned flap or rib may be stretched in any suitable manner found desirable or expedient. it is preferred, however, to produce such stretching by the employment of means for providing the marginal flap or rib with a series of transverse crimps or corrugations.

The provision of crimping or corrugating means forms an important feature of the present invention and is equally advantageous in making any type of insole in which it is desirable to produce an upstanding marginal abutment. In employing this feature of the invention in making the double lipped type of Economy insolethe crimps or corrugations perform the function of cohesively molding the flap and lip together in a manner to set them in a mutually supporting relation, thus producing from the two a single, substantially upright rib to which the upper and welt may be secured. The union thus obtained is equally as effective as though either cement or stitches were'used while the disadvantages attendant upon the use of either of these uniting means are obviated. Obviously an important economy in the manufacture of insoles is effected by the use of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that while it is preferred to set the flap and lip of blanks for Economy and like insoles in upturned position without the use of an extraneous binding agent, the arrangement .of tools in the machine is not prohibitive of the use of such an agent, if its use is thought desirable.

In its broader aspects the invention contemplates the provision of any suitable crimping or corrugating instrumentalities. It is preferred, however, to employ rolls, constructed and arranged to operate upon opposite sides of the flap or rib and suitably formed to produce the crimps or corrugations therein.

In addition to the features of the invention above referred to other features of the invention consist in certain devices, combinations and arrangements of parts fully set forth hereinafter, the advantages of which will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

While the invention is hereinafter described and illustrated, for ease of eXplanation, as operating upon a blank for making the double lipped type of Economy insole, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the machine may also be successfully employed in operating upon blanks for makv ing reinforced soles of any other type. As

a matter of fact the machine is not limited. in its application to operation upon sole blanks for reinforced work, but is equally useful in connection with any sole blank having a marginal rib or abutment, such as solids which it is desired to set permanently in upturned position.

The various features ofthe present invention will be best understood by an inspection of the accompanying drawings illustrating the best form of the invention at present devised, in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the head of the machine; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in front elevation of the operating instrumentalities; Fig. 3 is a plan of a blank showing the manner in which the marginal flap and lip are turned up and set, and also the greater length possessed by the upper upturned marginal portion of the flap than by its base; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail in left side elevation of the operating instrumentalities; Fig. 5 is a detail in longitudinal sectional elevation of the sole rest, and the feeding and crimping rolls; Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on the line 66, Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on the line 7-7, Fig. 5; and Figs- 8 and- 9 are enlarged details in front elevation, partly in section, of the crimping or corrugating rolls.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is provided with two sets of devices engaging the blank, the first set being constructed and arranged to support and feed the blank and the other set being constructed and arranged to operate upon the blank. The devices for supporting and feeding the blank comprise a rotatable sole positioning roll ar anged, also, to bend or dish the marginal portion .of the sole, a toothed feed roll arranged to engage the channel and a frustoconical feed roll arranged to engage the feather. The devices for operating upon the blank comprise a pair of plows arranged respectively to turn-up the flap and lip, a pair of rolls arranged to operate upon opposite sides of the rib, formed on the illus trated blank by the turned-up flap and lip, a pair of presser feet arranged to engage the opposite sides of the blank in advance of the operating point, and a vertical plate arranged to prevent the curling up of the blank as it is fed from the rolls.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the unchanneled face of the blank isengaged by a sole positioning roll 1 havinga peripheral bulge 2 at its middle. The roll 1 is rotatably mounted on a vertical stud 3 which is adjustably secured by a. set screw 4 to the upper end of a supporting arm 5. The lower end of the arm 5 is journaled on a rod 6 carried by a bracket 7 formed on the machine head. To hold the roll 1 firmly pressed against the unchanneled face of the sole the arm 5 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 8 the other end of which is connected through a tension device to the machine head. This tension device comprises a disk 9 secured to a con centric pin 10 which is rotatably mounted upon the machine head. Coiled around the pin 10 and having one end. attached to the link 8 and the other end to the disk 9 is a spring 11. The tension of this spring may be adjusted by rptating the disk 9 which is then held in adjusted position by a nut 12 on the pin 10. The position of the roll 1 under the influence of the spring 11 is limited by an adjustable stud 12. carried by the arm 5 and arranged to engage a fixed part of the machine head.

The devices for feeding the blank comprise a toothed feed roll 13 arranged to engage the channel of the blank and a frustoconical serrated roll 14 arranged to engage the feather (Fig. The roll 13 is provided with a shank 15, shrunk into a hollow roll holder 16 which is secured by a screw 17 to one end of a horizontal shaft 18 journaled in bearings formed in an arm or carrier 19 which is pivotally mounted at 20 on the machine head. The roll 14 is provided with a threaded shank 21 which is received Within a hollow roll holder 22 detachably connected to one end of a horizontal shaft 23 journaled in fixed hearings in the machine head. In order to lock the holder 22 in position on the shaft 23 the end of the shaft is provided with a slit 24 (Fig. 9) and with an interiorly threaded chamber 25 arranged to receive a screw 26. By manipulation of the screw 26 through the open end of the holder 22 the end of the shaft 23 may be expanded to lock the holder on the shaft. To drive the shafts 18 and 23 to feed the blank (in the direction of the arrow Fig. 4) the shaft 23 carries a belt driven pulley 27 and the two shafts are rotatably connected through the gears 28. The gear on the shaft 18 is smaller than the gear on the shaft 23 in order that the smaller roll 13 may be driven at the same surface speed as the larger roll 14.

The devices for setting the flap and lip of the illustrated insole blank comprise a roll 29 arranged to engage the flap and a roll 30 arranged to engage the lip when these two parts are in rip-turned position. The roll 30. which is formed on the roll holder 22, is provided upon its periphery with a series of teeth 31 herein shown as fourteen in number. These teeth have a uniform thickness throughout their length and are slightly rounded at tieir juncture with the roll 14. The roll 29, which is formed on the roll holder 16, is provided upon its periphery with a series of teeth 32,

herein shown as ten in number, arranged to inter-mesh with the teeth 31.

By inserting the rib, formed by turning up the flap and lip, between the rolls 29 and 30 and driving the feed rolls 13 and 14 the point of operation of the rolls 29 and 30 is transferred along the rib throughout its length and they thus produce in the rib a series of transverse crimps or corrugations. By forming transverse crimps or corrugations in the flap the fibers of the leather are stretched and a length is produced at its upper rip-turned margin which is greater than the length at its base, as may be seen from Fig. 3. This increase in length of the flap stiffens it to such an extent as to permanently set it and its former tendency to droop towardthe face of the blank is over come. As shown in Fig. 4 the roll 29 is smaller than the roll 30. This construction permits the rolls to travel freely around the reverse curves of the blank, as the blank is being fed through the machine.

In order to compress the rip-turned flap in the direction of its height to consolidate the fibers of the flap at its base, and thus increase the stiffness of the flap, the ends of the teeth 32 at their juncture with the roll 13 are given the shape of an ogee curve and the teeth 32 also are longitudinally wedge-shaped the thinner ends of the teeth being at their ends adjacent the feed roll 13 (see Figs. 5 to 8). With this construction as the blank is fed through the ma chine the fibers of the flap are pushed in the direction of the height of the flap and consolidated at its base (Fig. 5).

In order to preliminarily lift or partially turn-up the flap and lip of the illustrated insole blank for the action thereon of the crimping rolls the machine head carries a pair of plows 33 and 34. The plow 33 is provided with a curved portion 35, to permit it to operate closely adjacent the roll 29, and is formed on the depending end of a bent arm 36 the horizontal portion of which is adjustably connected by a slot and screw connection 37 (Fig. 2) to a support 38 on the arm 19. The plow 34 is also provided with a curved portion 39, to permit it to operate closely adjacent the roll 30, and is mounted for adjustment longitudinally of the roll 30, upon a horizontal arm 40 carried by a support 41 vertically adjustable on the machine head. The adjustment on the machine head on the sole positioning roll supporting arm 5, so that it projects slightly in advance of the sole engaging surface of the sole positioning roll 1 (Figs. 1 and 2). The presser foot 43 consists of a roll which is rotatably mounted upon the upper end of a bent lever 46 centrally pivoted on a lug on the plow support 41. The lower end of the lever 46 is pivotally connected by a link 47 to the arm 5. The other end of the link 47 is connected by means of a coiled spring 48 to the machine head. The lever 46 is provided with an adjustable set screw 45 which abuts against the forward side of the lug to which the lever is pivoted and thus determines the forward position of the presser foot 43 with relation to the crimping rolls under the influence of the spring 48. The connection of the forward end of the link 47 to the arm 5 is through a slot permitting the roll 1 to bear firmlyupon the unchanneled face of the insole after the set screw 45 has been seated. This slot also permits the in and out movement of the roll 1 relative to the crimping rolls, as the blank is fed through the machine, due to the uneven thickness of the blank in different parts, without disturbing the position of the foot 43.

In order to prevent the blank from curling as it leaves the crimping rolls the arm 5 carries a vertical plate 49 at the rear of these rolls (Fig. 4) which engages the unchanneled face of the blank in the line of feed and holds the blank straight as it is fed from the machine.

To permit the unobstructed insertion of a blank into and its removal from the machine the devices for supporting, feeding and oper ating upon the blank are mounted for relative separation at the will of the operative. To this end the sole positioning roll supporting arm 5 carries an integral arm 50 (Fig. 1) which is provided at its upper end with a yoke 51 the arms of which embrace a block 52 pivotally mounted on a pin 53. The pin 53 is carried by an arm 54 secured to a rock shaft 55 journaled in the machine head. A second arm 56 secured to the shaft 55 is connected at its free end to a treadle rod 57 the lower end of which is connected to the usual treadle on the machine base. Depression of the treadle by the operative swings the roll 1 to the left (Fig. 1) away from the unchanneled face of the roll. As the arm 5 swings outwardly the link 46 is drawn forward, against the tension of the spring 48 to tip the lever 46 and remove the roll 43 from the channeled face of the blank. To simultaneously separate the feeding and crimping rolls, to release the crimped rib, the shaft 55 carries a third arm 58 the upper end of which engages a foot 59 secured to the arm or upper tool carrier 19. As the shaft 55 is rocked by the depression of the treadle by the operative the rolls 13 and 29 are elevated against the tension of a coiled spring 60 interposed in a chamber in a bridge piece 61 on the machine head, bctween the top of the arm 19 and the lower end of a rod .62 adjustably carried by the bridge.

As the blanks operated upon are tempered before insertion into the machine of the drawings it is desirable to heat the crimping rolls to insure the permanency of the set imparted to the rib by the rolls. To this end the machine head adjacent the rolls is provided with a steam chamber 62 which is provided with an intake 63 and an outlet 64 both of which are adapted to be connected to a steam circulating system.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that an important feature of the present invention is in providing means for retaining the marginal abutment on a sole in its desired upstanding position, it being immaterial how such an abutment is produced or of what substance it is made so long as the material is such that it will receive the crimps or corrugations.

It will also be seen that another important feature of the invention resides in the provision, in a machine for making a single, compound lip or rib from a flap and lip formed on an insole, of rotary rolls, for acting on the rib, and means for preliminarily lifting, or partially upturning, the flap and lip for the action of said rolls, whatever the nature of the action of said rolls on the rib may be. a

For the reasons hereinbefore set forth the invention is not limited to the details of construction and operation of the illustrated embodiment nor to the conjoint use of all its features, but may be embodied in other forms within the terms and spirit of the claims, in which characterizing features are set forth by theintentional use of generic terms and expressions inclusive of various modifications.

What is claimed as new is 1. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal flap or rib, having, in combination, means for supporting and feeding the blank, and means for stretching the fibers of the material in the flap or rib at the upper marginal portion thereof to produce a length at this portion of the flap or rib greater than the length at its base to permanently set it, substantially as described.

2. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having, in combination, means for supporting and feeding the blank, and means for providing the marginal abutment with a series of transverse crimps or corrugations to set it in upturned position, substantially as described.

3. A machine for operating upon an insole blank having a flap and a parallel lip on one face, having, in combination, means for supporting and feeding the blank, and means for molding the flap and lip against each other into a configuration providing mutual support one for the other, substantially as described.

4. A machine for operating upon an insole blank having a flap and a parallel lip on one face, having, in combination, means for turning up the flap and lip, and means for providing the flap and lip with a series of transverse crimps or corrugations, substantially as described.

5. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a flap on one face, having, in combination, means for turning up the flap, and means for compressing the up-turned flap in the direction of its height to consolidate the fibers of the flap at its base, substantially as described.

6. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having, in combination, means for supporting and feeding the blank, and a pair of intermeshing toothed rolls, one larger than the other, for molding the marginal abutment, substantially as described.

7. A machine for operating upon sole blanks, having, in combination, means for supporting, feeding and operating upon the blank, and a pair of presser feet arranged to engage the opposite sides of the blank in advance of the operating point, substantially as described.

8. A machine for operating upon sole blanks, having, in combination, means for supporting, feeding and operating upon the blank, a pair of presser feet arranged to engage the opposite sides of the blank in advance of the operating point, and means for reversely actuating the presser feet to permit the unobstructed insertion of the blank into and its removal from the machine, substantially as described.

9. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having, in combination, a pair of rolls constructed and arranged to engage the marginal abutment with their circumferential surfaces, and means in advance of said rolls in the line of feed for preventing the edge of the blank being pulled inward between the rolls, substantially as described.

10. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having, in combination, a pair of rolls constructed and arranged to engage the marginal abutment with their circumferential surfaces, and a presser foot arranged to engage the feather portion of the blank and prevent the edge of the blank being pulled inward between the rolls, substantially as described.

11. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having,

in combination, means for supporting,.feeding, and operating on the marginal portion of the blank, including a pair of intermeshing toothed rolls for engaging and crimping the abutment between them, substantially as described.

12. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having, in combination, means for supporting, feeding, and operating on the marginal portion of the blank, including a pair of toothed rolls for engaging and molding the abutment, one of said rolls having its teeth tapering in width at the end for engaging the base portion of the abutment, substantially as described.

13. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having, in combination, means for supporting, feeding, and operating on the marginal portion of the blank, including a pair of toothed rolls for engaging and molding the abut ment, one of said rolls having its teeth tapering in width and formed with ogee curves at their ends which engage the base portion of the abutment, substantially as described.

14:. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutlnent, having, in combination, means for supporting, feeding and operating on the marginal portion of the blank including a tool at the inner side of the abutment, a second tool at the outer side of the abutment, one of said tools being provided with one or more concavities in its working face and the other being provided with one or more projections on its working face, and operating means for causing the projections 0n the one tool to enter the concavities in the other tool thereby to crimp the abutment between them, substantially, as described.

15. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having, in combination, means for supporting, feeding and operating on the marginal portion of the blank including a pair of oppositely disposed crimping tools each having alternate projections and depressions in its working face, the projections on one tool being disposed so as toenter cooperating depressions in the other tool, and means for guiding the abutment between said crimping tools, substantially as described.

16. A machine for operating upon a sole blank having a marginal abutment, having, in combination, means for supporting, feeding and operating on the marginal portion of the blank including a pair of oppositely disposed crimping tools each having alternate projections and depressions in its working face, the projections on one tool being disposed so as to enter cooperating depressions in the other tool, means for actuating one of said tools to efiect an intermeshing of said projections and depressions, a swinging carrier for the other tool, and means for moving said carrier to separate the tools for the insertion and removal of the blank, substantially as described.

17. A machine for operating on an insole blank having a flap and parallel lip on one face, having, in combination, a pair of pressure rolls, one for the flap and one for the lip, having Working faces for engaging the flap and lip between them to press said flap and lip into intimate contact, and means in advance, in the line of feed, of said rolls for turning up both the flap and lip for the action of said rolls thereon, substantially as described.

18. A machine for operating on an insole blank having a flap and a parallel lip on one face, having, in combination, means for turning up both the flap and lip, a pair of pressure rolls for pressing and setting the upturned flap and lip into initimate contact, and means engaging the unlipped face of the sole constructed and arranged to hold said flap and lip in position for the action of said rolls thereon, substantially as described.

19. A machine for operating on an insole blank, having a flap and a parallel lip previously cut in one face, having, in combination, a pair of tools acting one inside the flap and the other outside the lip for pressing and setting the flap and lip into intimate contact, plows for preliminarily lifting or partially upturning both the flap and lip for the action of said tools, and means for supporting the blank in operative position with relation to said tools and plows, sub stantially as described.

20. A machine for operating on an insole blank having a flap and a parallel lip previously cut in one face, having, in combination, tools at both the inside of the flap and the outside of the lip for lifting the flap and lip from the body of the blank and pressing them into intimate contact, a rotary feed wheel for engaging the feather of the blank, and means for supporting the blank in operative position with relation to said tools, substantially as described.

21. A machine for operating on an insole blank having a flap and a parallel lip previously cut in one face, having, in combination, a rotary tool having parts to press against and support the lip and to engage the feather to feed the blank, a lip lifting plow arranged in advance of said wheel, a flap lifting plow and cooperating tool to press against and set the flap in intimate contact with thelip, and means for supporting the blank in operative position with relation to said tools, substantially as described.

22. A machine for operating on an insole blank having a flap and a parallel lip previously cut in one face, having, in combination, a rotary tool having a circumferential surface to press against and support the lip from base to top, a lip plow curved about the lip engaging surface of said tool in advance thereof in the line of feed, a second rotary tool having a circumferential surface to press against and support the flap from bast to top and cooperate with said first named rotary tool to set the flap and lip into intimate contact, and means for supporting the sole in position for the operation of said tools, substantially as described.

23. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, crimping tools constructed and arranged for forming a transverse crimp in the lip of a sole, and means for actuating said tools to feed said sole, substantially as described.

24. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, crimping tools constructed and arranged for forming a transverse crimp in the lip of a sole, means for actuating said tools to feed said sole, and means for turning an uncrimped portion of said lip into position to be crimped, substantially as described.

25. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, crimping tools constructed and arranged for forming a transverse crimp in the lip of a sole, and a lipturning tool to act upon the uncrimped portion of the lip and turn it into position to be crimped by said crimping tools, substantially as described.

26. A machine of the character described, having, in combination, crimping tools constructed and arranged for forming a transverse crimp in the lip of a sole, a device for holding the lip of the sole in position to be operated upon by said tools, and means for Withdrawing said device from said tools to facilitate insertion of a sole in a machine, substantially as described.

ALBERT E. JOHNSON.

Vitnesses:

WARREN G. OGDEN, ELsIn PREss.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). C. 

